The ceiling of The British Museum’s “Great Court”
The glass ceiling of the inner courtyard, dubbed “The Great Court,” encloses the largest public indoor space in Europe. The idea was that wherever you walk in the space, you would get a different view of the ceiling. All of the panes of glass are slightly different in size due to the curved nature of the ceiling which further enhances this effect.
Why I love it
Originally the space was an open-air courtyard inside the museum. London does not always have the friendliest weather for outdoor travel so the ceiling performed the needed function of protecting from rain or snow. By choosing glass they preserved the feeling of being outdoors with natural light. It was a much more bold choice to create the entire ceiling out of glass instead of having a solid ceiling with selected skylights which would focus light into only specific locations. I say bold because it implies an openness to anyone and anything inside the museum’s walls, seeming to invite those from all walks of life and from any culture to come visit and partake in the history.
The choice of using triangles creates a view of the sky as if through a kaleidoscope. As you walk around the area, the ceiling seems to twist and turn, spiraling away from the perceiver. The lattice-work shadows also spill across the floor and shift throughout the day with the movement of the sun. The supports branching out from the central circular reading room hint at the interconnected nature of the variety of exhibits from areas around the world.
Hi Christine it’s so great to hear about your prior experience in the Navy and I am always fascinated by the potential of intersectionality between science, art, and technology when it comes to the universe. Remember the old days when students who are studying astronomy are mistakenly understood as studying astrology? I am not aware the historical research on evolution of the planetarium but there are so many amazing educational design opportunities in this area. I was at Trondheim, Norway this past summer for a conference and got to visit their city science museum and they had similar consideration regarding whether in the Scandinavian area, but they didn’t use mirrors. It serves more as an educational exhibition for the city rather than an exhibit (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F1biLefqYqw).
Yes! This reminds me of the planetarium at the Science Center in Baltimore that I always loved as a child. There would always be different sorts of stories told through the patterns in the stars they chose to show. It was a really cool immersive experience. Speaking of experiences, I got to attend an exhibit of Wonderspaces when it came to San Diego. They has some amazing immersive installations in the space. Here is one of my favorites: https://photos.app.goo.gl/KPTt8s3mzJ1BhF9L8
I saw this space for the first time a couple of years ago! I didn’t realize it was a modern addition, but that explains why I didn’t remember seeing it as a kid– it didn’t exist yet. (I practically lived at the British Museum and V&A whenever I visited my family in London.) Thank you for reminding me of this amazing experience!
Your description of it is spot on, especially the openness, shifting shadows, and a design you can’t stop looking at wherever you are in the room. My only criticism is that the noisy acoustics mar an otherwise contemplative experience.
Here’s a good video for anyone who hasn’t been lucky enough to visit:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sG3ICI-lfdI
(on a quiet day)
I’m so glad you got to experience it for yourself! It’s definitely a unique space though I agree on the “quiet day” aspect. An unfortunately side effect of a large space is how much everything echoes!